Nice anti-McLellan piece from the 1864 Presidential campaign, with image of Democratic donkey at center. Salt River was synonymous with political defeat. Believed to originate in backwoods slang, the term was first associated with the 1832 election, when a Jackson supporter is said to have taken Henry Clay along the Salt River instead of the Ohio, causing the candidate to miss an engagement, and ultimately lose the election. Cf., Charles E. Funk, 2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions… (New York: Galahad Books, 1993), pp. 691-93.